Costa opens first zero-energy Eco Pod drive through

Costa Coffee has opened an Eco Pod drive-through at Parc Tawe in Swansea, which claims to be 100% sustainable.

The drive-through is decked in innovative energy saving technologies such as photovoltaic solar panels on the roof and under-floor heating system and passive ventilation.

It is made from a special timber frame constructed using FSC sourced timber as an alternative to a traditional steel frame, reducing the embodied carbon footprint of the building and insulated with soft wood which keeps more heat in during the winter and helps to keep the interior cool in summer.

The building design features are what give the coffee shop its overall ‘zero energy' score, however the internal operating equipment including espresso machines and dishwashers use power in a conventional way.

The first Eco Pod restaurant (without a drive-through) opened in 2015 at Wrekin Retail Park in Telford, Shropshire. Energy use at the Telford Eco Pod is 52% below other Costa coffee shops of a similar size.

It saw costa owner Whitbread win the Asda Environmental Leadership award at the Responsible Business Awards 2016.

Costa operates more than 1,800 coffee shops across the UK. It aims to roll out more Eco Pods across the UK.

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